A gas line rupture ended up shutting down a part of Interstate 10, creating a major traffic mess that started just before the afternoon commute and lasted for hours Monday evening.

The closed portion of I-10 East backed up traffic from near Yarbrough Drive west to Bassett Place with bumper-to-bumper traffic for much of the evening.

El Paso Fire Department spokesman George De La Torre said the incident began about 3:30 p.m. when a construction crew busted a 5-inch gas line on Gateway East while digging in front of medical buildings just east of Giles Road.

About 75 firefighters responded to the incident as a precaution. A ladder truck was used to rain down water on the site of the leak to prevent any possibly dangerous sparks.

Dozens of police officers blocked streets and helped with heavy traffic congestion in the area.

Texas Gas Service crews shut the line at about 6:45 p.m., and the east lanes of the freeway were re-opened at about 7 p.m. after being closed for about three hours. Gas crews and firefighters stayed at the line-break site to monitor the situation and checked nearby buildings for any residual gas.

De La Torre said four people received medical treatment after inhaling gas fumes and 350 people were told to evacuate medical buildings along Gateway East near the gas leak.

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De La Torre said three Texas Gas Service employees who first arrived on the scene were treated due to the large amount of gas fumes at the line-break site.

"They inhaled a lot of fumes," De La Torre said. "They were treated at the scene. They were given oxygen therapy."

Fire Department officials said a woman who worked nearby was also treated after waiting 30 minutes in her car before being able to go home. When she got home, the woman felt nauseous and light-headed and called for help.

At about the same time as the gas-line break, a car fire was also reported a short distance away on I-10 East and Giles Road but the fire was not related to the gas line incident, Fire Inspector John Concha said.

De La Torre said gas readings from the broken line were high enough that Fire Department officials decided as a precaution to close a portion of I-10 East next to where the break occurred. The westbound lanes remained open.

Del Sol Medical Center -- on the opposite side of the freeway -- did not have to be evacuated, hospital officials said.

No homes were evacuated. Some nearby residents reported smelling gas but others said they did not smell anything unusual.

The closure of I-10 East at the Hawkins exit, near Cielo Vista Mall, created a traffic jam that lasted for more than three hours.

The incident also caused heavy traffic in the Hacienda Heights neighborhood near the line break as drivers took detours. For example, a trip on Phoenix Drive that normally would take less than five minutes took 20 minutes Monday afternoon.

Daniel Borunda may be reached at dborunda@elpasotimes.com; 546-6102. Times reporter Adriana M. Chávez contributed to this report.